The morning after...

[felis_ultharus]

So, the same-sex bill has passed. The House of Commons is on summer break, and now C-38 is in the Senate, a retirement home for elderly politicians -- yes-men like Raymond Lavigne who always towed the Liberal party line, and only spoke twice during his political years, and never on anything political.

There are currently 105 senators: 64 Liberals, 22 Conservatives, 5 Progressive Conservatives (they still exist in the Senate!), 5 independents, 8 empty spaces, and one woman calling herself NDP even though our party refuses to recognize her -- we don't believe in the Senate, since (like the electoral college system, or the House of Lords), it's a holdover from a less-democratic time.

(Interestingly, the Conservatives were against the Senate until they got members there. Big surprise. Everyone wants to reform the Senate because it's useless. Question is, how? The Conservatives want the American-style Senate, so that the West can gang up on Ontario and Quebec. No offence to my friends out West, but it's frickin scary to think of our provinces being held hostage by, say, 8 conservatives from out West. That's the same problem the electoral college system has created in the US. I have to keep explaining to people out here that Westerners aren't all fundamentalists, and with two Senators per province, the rural areas would gang up on the cities and return right-wingers to dominate an American-style Senate.

I want to see proportional representation -- a Senate based on popular vote by party, or maybe one where we just vote separately for the party, a little like Germany has but in a different house. By the first system, in the last election, that would have meant 41 Liberals, 33 Conservatives, 14 Bloc, 18 NDP, and 5 Green)

In other news, 16 days until Harry Potter 6. I will make one prediction, since Harry Potter predictions are a popular game (hightlight for possible spoiler):

I expect Harry is a metamorphmagus. There I said it. My first major prediction. Of course, given my track record for guessing things, I'm probably way off. I just wanted to say it on the off chance I'm actually correct, and then I can brag ;)

Comments

[ubergreenkat.livejournal.com]

i'm not supporting your prediction, given that a) tonks is already special power girl, b) he's already a parseltongue, c) he's already got occlumency skills

my prediction is that either Snape or Krum is going to be the HBP, and that things are going to get a lot less murky (i know that's a totally wimpy, fortune-cookie style prediction, but hey...)

[felis-ultharus.livejournal.com]

Fair enough. But here's my reasoning:



We'll see whan the book comes out, of course. And as I said, I'm terrible at predictions. I don't think your idea is too farfetched about Snape. We don't know what the Half-Blood Prince is, let alone who. And Rowling doesn't seem to have a high opinion of nobility -- most mentions of princes, kings, and lords are negative, so it could an unpleasant character like Snape.

I think a good dark horse candidate is Remus Lupin, though. We know he's half-blood, too, and almost no one but his fans suspect him. Given Rowling's talent for good mystery and red herrings, the fact that no one suspects Remus as a prince is a point in his favour :)

[jenjoou.livejournal.com]

I'm looking forward to Harry Potter too (though on reflection I probably have preordered it, I forsee having to wait an extra month to read it). I make no predictions however, except that I'll have trouble getting my hands on it and no of the fun stuff that happen in doujinshi and fanfic will actually happen (you know, the stuff we really want to see happen ;)).

I should reread the earlier books, I only have vague recollections of what happened...

[felis-ultharus.livejournal.com]

I know far more than is probably healthy about the series.

As for queer characters, I could see her throwing in two minor characters going to a dance together, or something. She's just liberal enough to do it, and not afraid of controversy. The fundamentalists already hate her, and no parent with a survival instinct will deny Harry Potter to their children.

If so, my money's on Colin Creevey and Justin Finch-Fletchley because, you know, those two between them are pretty much every closeted gay guy I ever knew in high school :p

I doubt it'd be a major character -- we'd know by now.

[jenjoou.livejournal.com]

I just noticed you fixed your icon :D

[felis-ultharus.livejournal.com]

*booming patriotic voice*

I didn't change my icon. The people of Canada changed my icon.

:p